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Summer could be hot one

J. J. Motley, left, and Serena Lamb keep cool in the shade of an colorful umbrella as they watch the Augusta GreenJackets take on Lexington during a hot day at Lake Olmstead Stadium in Augusta Tuesday morning May 16, 2017. MICHAEL HOLAHAN/STAFF

GreenJackets pitcher Jeff Burke, left, gets a drink as he and his teammates try to stay cool with towels on their heads while they watch from the bullpen as the Augusta GreenJackets take on Lexington during a hot day at Lake Olmstead Stadium in Augusta Tuesday morning May 16, 2017. MICHAEL HOLAHAN/STAFF

It looks as though this summer is going to be a hot one.

Though May temperatures have been on par with historically expected levels after an unseasonable hot first four months, the next three are expected to be scorchers, according to a state climatologist. Summer officially starts June 21.

“The three-month forecast shows above-average temperatures all throughout the Southeast,” Georgia’s deputy state climatologist, Nyasha Dunkley, said this week.

The new year brought with it an unpredictable January, with temperatures fluctuating between chilly winter norms and uncharacteristic peaks well into the 70s. Thermometers in January 2016 never topped 68 degrees. This year was a much different story with a 10-day stretch of highs over 70, hitting a high of 80 degrees on Jan. 18.

February boasted an average high of 70 degrees, close to a 10-degree increase from the previous year and a 15-degree jump from 2015. These anomalous temperatures continued through April, the hottest on record in years.

The beginning of May was relatively mild compared to the past few years. The rest of the month can be expected to bring highs in the 80s and 90s with nighttime temperatures dipping no lower than 50 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.